Absorbent garments of the reclosable type are known. One such garment is for example a diaper for use by a child or adult incontinent users, said diaper having strips with tabs on one end of said product that can be releasably adhered to a landing zone on the other end of said product when fitted to a baby/child user. One problem with this is however that for putting the garment on, some dexterity is required to grip and position the tab. In older users, such dexterity is often lacking and the garments may be particularly awkward to assemble.
Another type of absorbent product that has been used much in recent years, and which circumvents such problems, is an absorbent garment known generally as a pair of training pants or incontinence pants. The garment is much more convenient and quicker to put on than a reclosable nappy, since it is very similar to a pair of ordinary underpants in that it has a continuous waistband and two leg openings This form allows it to be pulled on like normal pants without any pre-assembly. When the garment becomes soiled however, its removal is problematic. Either the outer clothing has to be removed entirely to take the pants off as normal, which can be difficult in many situations, or the two sides of the pants have to be torn vertically so that the torn garment can be removed between the wearer's legs. The tearing of the side portions in itself can however be difficult, especially again for very old wearers who may lack the strength to tear the product.
A further problem which presents itself is that absorbent pants cannot be adjusted and consequently they may be uncomfortable if exactly the right size is not chosen. Even then, adjustability is desirable to take account of variations in waist size occurring during the day, e.g. after eating. Additionally, a large selection of sizes is required if all body shapes are to be catered for.
Whilst the provision of reclosable fastening arrangements is used to provide adjustability and easy removal in nappies, no totally satisfactory solution has yet been found for applying such a feature to absorbent pants whilst still allowing them to be produced in-line, which is a requirement for economically viable production.
WO-A-95/27462 discloses a method of producing a series of disposable absorbent garments starting from a web of side-by-side open absorbent articles having opposed longitudinal edges with a line of intended separation between said articles. In this method, a first strip of flexible material with a zone of releasably attachable material is placed on the web with the releasably attachable material facing away therefrom. In one embodiment, folding of the garment between its longitudinal side edges is performed. In said embodiment, a second strip of a co-acting releasable material is placed on the opposite side of the web and then the web is then folded between its longitudinal edges so that the co-acting strip elements can be brought into releasable contact with each other by means of projections on one of the strips being forced through holes in the other strip. By cutting the web at the lines of intended separation, separate closed garments are then formed. Although said method has advantages, the method implies that the absorbent article has the releasable surfaces of the co-acting strips lying in contact inside the garment which can provide a disadvantage when trying to open the garment.
Thus, the object of the invention is to provide a solution to the aforesaid problems by a particular method of producing a reclosable absorbent garment which can be manufactured by an in-line continuous process. The invention also seeks to provide a garment having a reclosable fastening arrangement which can be manufactured in an in-line continuous process.